Highlights and Shadows
by Moofy-Fan
Summary: When trapped in the earth dome waiting for the day to pass, Al asks Pride a few questions, and ponders the answers he recieves and just how different he and the childlike homunculus really are.


It seems that all I do with my free time now a days is write, which I guess is a better hobby then my other choice, sleeping. Well, once again another one shot from me, and who else would I write about but Pride? Frankly, I'm a little surprised that no one has written anything similar to what this is, but I guess that just proves that Pride does not have enough fans, if such ripe fan fiction fuel is ignored.

Highlights and Shadows

Al sat in the center of the gigantic earthen dome he had his father make, in order to trap the nearly unbeatable monster they'd been fighting. They were trapped together now, but neither had said anything in at least an hour. The soul bound armor couldn't stop thinking about what had been said though, not long after they had been trapped inside.

Al shook his nonexistent head. Well, not nonexistent, Selim, well, more properly put, Pride, was banging it with a stick, but point is he really couldn't shake it, but simply pretended he did. He couldn't let himself be deceived. He just had to keep telling himself that even if this monster looked and acted like a child without his powers, he was still evil, and trying to kill them all.

"Urg…" the armor mumbled, leaning back slightly, the joints of his metal body creaking. He couldn't see the homunculus too well in the dark, but Al could almost feel the smirk in his voice as he spoke.

"What's the matter, Mr. Armor? Getting bored so easily?" he asked, his voice sounding almost as metallic as the constant ringing he sent out from tapping the armor head. There was still a faint childlike ring to it though, and it spooked Al how similar it was in the end to his own, hollow voice.

"Not a chance, I've been though much longer then this," Al said with false ease. It wasn't that he was getting bored, he was much too used to that with spending almost every night of the last few years alone. It was just that he was much too curious for his own good. Although maybe… it would be good if he kept the homunculus talking, they would need as much information as they could get after all, even after the promised day is done, in order to figure out just what to do with him.

"So…" Al started, not too sure what to say. He'd have to approach this casually, but cautiously. He couldn't afford to get fooled by his childlike persona, but he can't let him get too suspicious about his intentions for information. "How ya doin?"

The regular tapping was disrupted, a louder then normal bang being made as he asked his question, and then silence. Al got the distinct feeling that he was being stared at. Maybe he'd been a bit too casual.

"What?" Pride asked finally, returning to occupying himself with the stick. Al shrugged slightly, not thinking that the monster could actually see him, but knowing he could hear him, at the very least. Truth was he wasn't too sure himself where this was going.

"Um, how are you doing?" he asked again, not able to really think of any explanation as to why he was asking. He knew Pride wouldn't take simple curiosity, he was smarter then that, but the sin had probably figure out a while ago that any conversation he would try to make would be a pull at information, but it still couldn't hurt too much to just try. After a while, Al was pretty sure he wasn't even going to answer, but was proven wrong, much to his surprise.

"Fine… what are you trying to accomplish by asking me this, _Mr. Armor?_" he asked, slipping into a mockery of his normal, child voice at the end. Al wasn't sure what he was trying to do, just keeping him talking really, but he couldn't say that. He had no idea how loose he would be with information, but that was what he was trying to find out. After all, he'd already told him all about his mother, but that might have been, had probably been, was definitely him just trying to mess with his head.

"Oh nothing, I just think the silence it a little boring, don't you?" he said at last, and once again he could hear the smirk on the sin's voice as he responded.

"If you're so bored, why don't you leave this place? I wont stop you," the sin said, and this time it was Al who felt like smirking. If that was his best try at making him leave, then the armored soul would have no problem waiting out the rest of the day.

"That's not going to work, but I would like to ask you something to pass the time," Al said, hoping that he would take the bait.

"Ask me something? Alright then, but just know that I may not answer you," Pride said, his voice full of superiority. It shocked Al that this was the same kid who he'd met in the library all that time ago, and once again had to tell himself that that child had never actually existed, he was just an act.

"Okay, well, I was wondering, you've already told me about your mother," he started, deciding it would be best to keep to a topic they'd at least talked about. Pride nodded at him to go on, so he did, "but what about your father, and I don't mean King Bradley either. Why do you follow him, if you actually find happiness with your mother?" he asked, and Pride was silent for a moment.

"Why? That's an odd question. He's my father, of course I'd do what he says in order to achieve and carry out his goals. You humans would do the same for your parents, would you not?" the sin said, and Al wasn't sure how to respond. It almost made sense, but…

"But if he's doing something wrong, that doesn't mean you have to too. You can still be your own person and respect your parents," the armored soul said, but Pride was chuckling by the time he'd finished.

"What is this now? Are you actually trying to get me to switch sides? Who ever said what father's doing was wrong? All you humans are merely insects to be used as fuel," the childlike sin said, and Al only sighed as Pride continued to chuckle to himself as he continued to clank the helmet, so very amused by what he'd said. A thought occurred to him though, and Al decided to see which story the homunculus would stick to.

"Even your mother?" he asked, and the chuckling from his current companion stopped almost immediately. It surprised Al how taken back he seemed to be by the question. It was almost like he'd never thought about it before, but that wasn't very likely, it was more like he'd choose to just ignore it. Once again Al had to remind himself that this boy in front of him was a monster, and that he couldn't be deceived. If he let himself be taken in by his tricks, then it could be seriously damaging.

When the sin finally did answer, he didn't try to play up any sort of attachment or act that would make Al try and trust him, or feel sorry for him. Instead he just sighed softly to himself as he continued to knock on the armored helmet.

"Even her," he said quietly, and Al didn't know what to think. He sounded almost sad, but if he wanted to gather his trust, why would he say that he still considered his own mother to be a mere insect. It almost felt more like he was trying to convince himself that he believed it, and not the armor sitting a few feet away from him. A few moments later he started speaking again, his arrogant tone back at full force, and the smirk nearly dripping from his voice again.

"_All_ of you humans are only energy sources to be used by father, and I intend to make sure his plan plays out accordingly. You may have me trapped in here for now, but the promised day is far from over," he said, his voice echoing off the walls of their container. Al could only sigh and look up at the blackness over them.

He just couldn't understand him, but maybe it was better if he didn't. He was the enemy, and it didn't seem like their was any chance of that ever changing, which Al guessed was a good thing. If Pride tried to show himself as remorseful and really just a child at heart, there was a chance that Al would believe him, and there was an ever greater chance that he was just lying in order to trick and betray them later on.

No, it was a good thing that Al didn't understand him, because then he might start to feel sorry for him, or even empathize with him.

Looking over in the direction of the constant, slightly annoying by now banging, he couldn't help but notice just how opposite they were. Pride, an ancient and evil being concealed in the body of a small child, and himself, just a fourteen year old boy trapped inside a hollowed out suit of armor.

If he thought about it, they were a lot like night and day, or light and dark. Of course, the light would always be able to chase away the darkness, and day would always come after the night.

Although Pride's powers just showed that the dark could not exist without the light, and vise versa. But while Pride was a manifestation of shadows, he wasn't of darkness, and by no way was Al pure light. They could exist without each other, and Al was going to make sure that after the promised day was over, Pride wasn't going to be able to hurt or manipulate anyone ever again.

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><p>Tadaa. Sorry if it wasn't the most exciting read in the world, just felt like a little Al and Pride interaction. Such an interesting dynamic could be set up between the two, especially after the events of the promised day, reminds me a bit of first series Wrath and Al.<p>

Well, I hope that you enjoyed this, and please review.


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